Old Damascus – Syria

Modern Damascus is a large, dense, and very busy city. However, tucked away in the center of the city is its beautiful “old town” with its ancient buildings, souqs (markets) and alleyways. The architecture in this part of the city is truly unique with very old houses that were made of wood, cement, etc. At the center of this area is the beautiful and commanding Unayyad Mosque which is one of the largest in the world. Lindsay and I had about 3 days to spend in Damascus and we were constantly coming back to the Old Town to explore its alleyways, shops and to simply people watch. I remember one particular night we found a very busy frozen yogurt shop in the middle of the Souq so we figured it had to be good. I just worked my way into the very busy line, eventually finding myself surrounded by locals, and just pointed at what all the other people were ordering. :) I ended up coming out with two cones with incredibly frozen yogurt topped with pistachios. Needless to say it was amazing! On another night we just wandered the alleyways until we eventually found ourselves in a very busy roundabout intersection. We just sat in the middle of the intersection to take in the scene around us. On another day we actually worked our way into the Unayyad Mosque to experience its beauty. The funniest thing about going into a Mosque is what they make Lindsay wear. All I have to do is take off my shoes but she literally has to get in a full body zip up suite that looks like a giant robe. I wander around quite comfortably while she struggles to keep up in her full body robe. :) the interior of the mosque is absolutely breathtaking. The entire inner courtyard is made of beautiful marble and is surrounded by open air hallways with numerous pillars. While we were resting in the shad of one pillar we meet our Scottish buddies who were with us on our 36 hour eventful train ride from Turkey. We chatted with them for a few minutes before continuing to explorer. We eventually made our way into the main worship area where there is a shrine believed to contain the head of John the Baptist. Every day that we went to the Old Town it was a memorable experience. Even the nights were we would simply wander around the souqs, alleyways and little squares were absolutely memorable and special. Old Damascus is truly one of the most unique and beautiful areas in all the world.